The Journal of Parliamentary Information VOLUME LXI NO. 2 JUNE 2015 LOK SABHA SECRETARIAT NEW DELHI CBS Publishers & Distributors Pvt. Ltd. 24, Ansari Road, Darya Ganj, New Delhi-2 EDITORIAL BOARD Editor : Anoop Mishra Secretary-General Lok Sabha Associate Editors : Dr. D. Bhalla Secretary Lok Sabha Secretariat P.K. Misra Additional Secretary Lok Sabha Secretariat Kalpana Sharma Joint Secretary Lok Sabha Secretariat Sayed Kafil Ahmed Director Lok Sabha Secretariat Assistant Editors : Pulin B. Bhutia Additional Director Lok Sabha Secretariat Sanjeev Sachdeva Joint Director Lok Sabha Secretariat V. Thomas Ngaihte Joint Director Lok Sabha Secretariat © Lok Sabha Secretariat, New Delhi THE JOURNAL OF PARLIAMENTARY INFORMATION VOLUME LXI NO. 2 JUNE 2015 CONTENTS PAGE EDITORIAL NOTE 115 ADDRESS Address by the President to Parliament 117 PARLIAMENTARY EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES Conferences and Symposia 132 Birth Anniversaries of National Leaders 135 Exchange of Parliamentary Delegations 137 Parliament Museum 138 Bureau of Parliamentary Studies and Training 138 PROCEDURAL MATTERS 141 PARLIAMENTARY AND CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTS 142 DOCUMENTS OF CONSTITUTIONAL AND PARLIAMENTARY INTEREST 150 SESSIONAL REVIEW Lok Sabha 158 Rajya Sabha 178 State Legislatures 200 RECENT LITERATURE OF PARLIAMENTARY INTEREST 205 APPENDICES I. Statement showing the work transacted during the Fourth Session (Part-I) of the Sixteenth Lok Sabha 211 II. Statement showing the work transacted during the 234rd Session of the Rajya Sabha 215 III. Statement showing the activities of the Legislatures of the States and Union Territories during the period 1 January to 31 March 2015 219 (iv) iv The Journal of Parliamentary Information IV. List of Bills passed by the Houses of Parliament and assented to by the President during the period 1 January to 31 March 2015 225 V. List of Bills passed by the Legislatures of the States and the Union Territories during the period 1 January to 31 March 2015 226 VI. Ordinances promulgated by the Union and State Governments during the period 1 January to 31 March 2015 234 VII. Party Position in the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha and the Legislatures of the States and the Union Territories 236 Jai Mata Di 15 m12 final EDITORIAL NOTE Article 87 (1) of the Constitution of India provides for President’s Address to members of both the Houses of Parliament assembled together at the commencement of the first Session after each General Election to the Lok Sabha and at the commencement of the first Session of each year. President’s Address is a statement of policy of the Government. The Address contains a review of the activities and achievements of the Government during the previous year and sets out the policies which it wishes to pursue with regard to national and international issues. As such, the scope of its discussions is wide as it includes all sorts of national and international issues. During the discussions, several amendments are moved, highlighting different issues and making suggestions for government action. The Discussion on the “Motion of Thanks” is one of the liveliest events in the House. This year, the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee addressed members of both the Houses of Parliament in the Central Hall of Parliament House, at the commencement of the first Session of the year, on 23 February 2015. We reproduce the text of the Address in this issue of the Journal. The 77th Conference of the Presiding Officers of Legislative Bodies in India was held in Lucknow on 31 January 2015 and 1 February 2015. Inaugurating the Conference on 31 January 2015, the Speaker, Lok Sabha, Smt. Sumitra Mahajan said that this 94-year old organization provides a platform for exchange of ideas and thoughts. Talking about the phenomenon of having governments led by different parties at the Centre and in the States, the Speaker, Lok Sabha, Smt. Mahajan observed that politics should not come in the way of development. She further added that there may be different governments and different parties but none of the parties are against development. There may be differences in the ways and means to achieve this goal but there should not be any difference in our thoughts on this issue. The Speaker further stated that the members expect the Presiding Officers to guide them and help them as they are more experienced and it is their responsibility to nurture them to become more effective legislators. Further, Smt. Mahajan stated that when the members get elected to any representative institution, they should come with a view to serve the people, irrespective of the fact that some of them may not have voted for them. M07 15 116 The Journal of Parliamentary Information The 5th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region Conference was hosted by the Goa CPA Branch from 11 to 14 February 2015. While inaugurating the Conference on 12 February 2015, the Speaker, Lok Sabha, Smt. Sumitra Mahajan highlighted the importance of debates and discussions in the House and observed that only through constructive participation of members that the solutions to various problems could be found. She also added that only when the House functions smoothly, the members will be able to effectively play their roles in making laws and ensuring the accountability of the Executive. A Conference of the Chairpersons of Committee on Public Undertakings of Parliament and State / UT Legislatures was held in New Delhi on 14 and 15 March 2015 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Undertakings. Inaugurating the Conference on 14 March 2015, the Speaker, Lok Sabha, Smt. Sumitra Mahajan said that these state-owned undertakings have built our nation brick-by-brick, and have, thus, remained the driving engines of growth and development. We have included brief accounts of the above stated Conferences under the feature ‘Parliamentary Events and Activities’. We also carry in this issue the other regular features, viz. Procedural Matters, Parliamentary and Constitutional Developments, Documents of Constitutional and Parliamentary Interest, Sessional Reviews, Recent Literature of Parliamentary Interest and Appendices. In our constant pursuit of making the Journal more enriching and useful, we always invite and welcome suggestions for its further improvement. We also welcome informative and original articles pertaining to parliamentary procedures and institutions from Members of Parliament, State Legislatures, scholars and all others interested in the field. Anoop Mishra —Editor Jai Mata Di 15 m12 final 1 ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT TO PARLIAMENT The provision for an Address by the Head of State to Parliament goes back to the year 1921 when the Central Legislature was set up for the first time under the Government of India Act, 1919. Under article 86(1) of the Constitution, the President may address either House of Parliament or both Houses assembled together, and for that purpose require the attendance of members. Article 87(1) provides that at the commencement of the first Session of each year, the President shall address both Houses of Parliament assembled together and inform the Parliament of the causes of its summons. The Address by the President is a statement of policy of the Government. It contains a review of the activities and achievements of the Government during the previous year and sets out the policies which it wishes to pursue with regard to important national and international issues. It also indicates the main items of legislative business which are proposed to be brought before Parliament during the sessions to be held that year. * The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, addressed members of * both the Houses of Parliament assembled together in the Central Hall of Parliament House on 23 February 2015. We reproduce below the text of the Address. —Editor Honourable Members, In this New Year full of aspirations and hope, I welcome you to the Joint Sitting of the Two Houses of the Parliament with the belief that your deliberations will be productive and useful. Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee had said, “the greatest strength of India is her rich spiritual and civilizational heritage”. The core values of our civilization emphasize universal good–welfare of all human beings. The fundamental tenet of my Government is Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas– All Together, Development of All. Within a span of nine months, my Government has articulated and embarked on a comprehensive strategy for unleashing the full potential of our country and its precious resource of 125 crore people. Measures have been initiated to stir action in a range of fields from sanitation to smart cities, poverty elimination to creation of wealth, skill development to conquering space, tapping demographic dividend to diplomatic initiatives, enhancing ease of doing business to putting in place a stable policy framework, empowering M07 118 The Journal of Parliamentary Information individuals to ensuring quality infrastructure, ending financial untouchability to making the country a manufacturing hub, containing inflation to stimulating economy, igniting minds to ensuring inclusive growth, promoting cooperative federalism to encouraging a competitive spirit among the States. A strong beginning has been made. A promising future awaits us. Honourable Members, Poverty is a bane to dignified human existence. Development is actualized only when the last person gets a sense of fulfillment, especially, regarding his minimum needs. Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya had laid emphasis on holistic development of each and every human being–Ekatm Manavata Darshan (Integral Humanism). My Government is pledged to work for the welfare of the poor, the marginalized and the vulnerable sections of the society. Financial inclusion is critical to poverty elimination. My Government launched an ambitious Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana to provide universal access to banking facilities – a bank account, having in-built accidental insurance with a Rupay debit card. I am happy to state that the coverage under the scheme is close to 100 per cent with a record 13.2 crore new bank accounts being opened, 11.5 crore Rupay debit cards being issued and over 11,000 crore being deposited.